Andrea Williams uses reclaimed sterling silver and beach stones in her ‘Bound Earth’ jewelry. The artist, a member of Ethical Metalsmiths, is comitted to bringing her customers “socially and environmentally responsible jewelry.” This collection of jewelry is made up of four series – I was first drawn to Mani Padme, a phrase borrowed from part of a Buddhist mantra that means “the jewel in the lotus”. Her interpretation of this meaning, seen in the lotus pendant below, is quite lovely.
A bracelet from the Sa series (Sa is a Tibetan word for earth), brings to mind a weathered path of stepping stones. Path to what? Path to where? Mmmm….
But the real magic happens in Wiliams’ Kyuma series. Kyuma is the Tibetan word for magic, and as Williams describes, “Pieces in this series are held together in improbable or seemingly impossible ways. For example, stone rings appear to float, divided, on a finger. Necklaces have no obvious clasp. ” With a child’s wide-eyed wonder I found myself exclaiming over each piece..newly discovered joy in the soothing smooth of a beach stone.
Floating Stone Ring
A rare earth magnet allows you to align the halves to form a complete stone or leave the halves unaligned for a different look…maybe depending on your mood?
My jewelry is an expression of the wonder I sense in the overlooked intricacies in nature. When we see stones in infinite numbers underfoot at the beach, we cannot help but to miss the unique perfection in each. I use precious metals in conjunction with seemingly ordinary organic materials to capture that sense of wonder in each piece.
